Fighting for throne (P4-5)
南昌市铁路第一中学  李欣荣
I. Lead-in
Discussion
What do you know about The Lord of the Rings?
Who was the author of the novel?
J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973)

What do you know about A Song of Ice and Fire?
Who is the author of the novels?
George R.R. Martin (1948- )

II. Pre-reading
What’s the difference between The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin?
The Lord of the Rings takes people to Middle-earth to witness a battle of good and evil with dwarves, fairies  and wizards .
And in A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of novels invites people to another fictional world in which powerful families compete to win the most important throne of all.

III. Careful reading
Read the article again and answer the following questions.
1. What has made Martin’s fictional world so popular?
Martin has something original to say and an original way to say it. 

2. Why has the daughter of the former king drawn readers’ attention?
Because she can control dragons and wants to sit on the “Iron Throne”.

3. What has made Martin’s works successful?
The complex characters, the plots and the questions that it asks.

4. What can you tell about the characters in Martin’s books?
They are complex. It’s even difficult to know who is good and who is evil.

5. According to the passage, what do many writers do while writing fantasy books?
They try to copy Tolkien or J.K. Rowling.

IV. Language Point
It is these complex characters, suspenseful (令人紧张的) plots and questions that his novels ask that have left readers and TV viewers unsure but desperate (极度渴望的) to find out what happens next in Martin’s fictional world.
It is/was … that … 是强调句型。被强调部分为these complex characters, suspenseful plots and questions。后面还有一个that引导定语从句。
It was my father who took the photos yesterday.
It is Martin’s writing that makes the story special.

Holes may be common (P5)
天津市南开中学  王立梅

I. Pre-reading
Guess what the word “holes” might refer to.

II. While reading
1. What is a black hole?
A black hole is a dense vacuum that has powerful gravity that pulls all surrounding matter into it.
2. Is there anything in a black hole? Why do the holes always look black?
Yes. They always look black because its gravity is so strong that even light can not escape. 
3. What is a smaller, ordinary black hole and what is a supermassive black hole?
A small black hole ranges from tens to hundreds of sun masses, while a supermassive black hole can have a mass of about a million suns up to billions.
4. Where are supermassive black holes usually found?
They are usually found in a massive galaxy in a crowded area of the universe.
5. Why is this discovery unexpected? 
Supermassive black holes are usually found in a massive galaxy in a crowded area of the universe, but this supermassive black hole was found in a smaller galaxy.
6. What does the following sentence suggest?
“Maybe there are a lot more monster black holes out there that don’t live in a skyscraper in Manhattan, but in a tall building somewhere in the Midwestern plains.” 
Many supermassive black holes may be found in less crowded areas of the universe. Supermassive black holes may be more common than scientists previously thought.
7. How do small black holes form?
Scientists believe that small black holes form when a star burns up its nuclear fuel and reaches the end of its life.
8. How do supermassive black holes form?
Scientists are not sure how supermassive balck holes could form. They are possibly formed by absorbing lots of gas from a surrounding galaxy or joining several small black holes together.

III.  Post-reading
Write a short summary of the article to support the idea that “holes may be common”.

Going to prom (P6)
中国人民大学附属中学 李欣荣
I. WARM UP
What kind of celebration would you like to have before you graduate from senior high school?

II. SKIMMING
What is the article mainly about?
It tells the author’s own experience of prom and how it was a life-changing moment for her.

III. READING FOR STRUCTURE
Match the paragraphs with their main ideas.
Para. 1: Prom is an important event in senior high school 
Para. 2-3: The author’s preparations for prom
Para. 4-5: The author enjoying herself at prom
Para. 6: Prom was a life-changing moment for the author

IV. CLOSE READING
Activity 1: Fill in the chart about the author getting ready for the prom.
Item Where she got it Description
Dress Bought second-hand. The most beautiful dress the author had ever seen – not too fancy.
Shoes Bought from Wal-Mart. They were so comfortable that she couldn't wait to dance all night long in them.
Hair and make-up Done by her cousin Melissa. She received many compliments about them.

Activity 2: Summarize the events of the prom and draw a flow chart.
1. Danced for four hours
2. Dessert buffet
3. The casino and magicians arrived
4. Took pictures with friends
5. Had breakfast and said goodbye

V. LANGUAGE FOCUS: Words
1. definitely adv. without doubt, in a way that is certain or clear
definite adj.
2. countdown n. the act of counting down the number of seconds that remain before something happens
3. tricky adj. requiring skill or caution, difficult to do or deal with
trick n.
4. cater for/to provide what is wanted or needed by someone or something
5. owe … to … used to indicate person or thing that made something possible

EXERCISE: Complete the sentences with the proper forms of the words and phrases in the box.
definitely; countdown; tricky; cater for; owe to 
1. He owed his survival to his strength as a swimmer.
2. The countdown to the launch of the space shuttle has begun.
3. This type of equipment can be tricky to install.
4. This restaurant often caters for large groups of people.
5. Please tell us whether you will definitely be coming.

V. LANGUAGE FOCUS: Sentences
Paraphrase the following sentences.
1. Part of me didn't want to go, but I knew I couldn't let the chance pass me by, and going was the best decision I made all year - next to studying, of course!
The author was hesitant to go to prom at first, but she didn’t want to miss out on the chance to go to the most important event in senior high school. Later, she thought going to prom was the second wisest choice that she had made for the whole year, besides studying hard.
2. We danced for four hours and I felt as if my feet were going to fall off.
The author and her friends danced for four hours. When they were done, she felt very exhausted and her feet were in pain.
3. Although it wasn't the last time we would be seeing each other, it felt as if we were leaving behind so much.
Although the author and her friends would still see each other in the future, they had the strong feeling that they were losing a lot of things.

VI. DISCUSSION
Is there an event during senior year that is unforgettable or even changes lives? What is it? Why is it so important? Share your ideas with your partner first, then tell the rest of the class.

VII. WRITING
Imagine you are the headmaster of your school, and you are going to hold an event for Senior 3 students before they graduate. Design an event that you think will be memorable and write a description of it. You may include the following aspects:
What kind of event are you going to hold?
What are students going to do at this event?
Why would you like to hold this type of event?